A workgroup of the Linux Foundation has been tasked to implement the IPv6 next-generation Internet protocol for Linux and can now report that its work meets U.S Department of Defense (DoD) mandate and certification requirements.

The goal of the IPv6 Workgroup under the leadership of Venkata Jagana, who is also a chief architect at IBM, was to develop an out-of-box IPv6 solution for Linux. According to the group, the work has been done. IPv6 was to replace the current IPv4 network addressing protocol, a major undertaking spurred on by the U.S. Defense Department due to the growing risk that IPv4 addresses would soon be exhausted. The U.S. government has mandated the changeover to IPv6 for all its agency PCs and network devices.

Active participants in the workgroup include big names such as HP, Nokia-Siemens, Red Hat and Novell. Kathy Bennett of IBM's Linux Technology Center asserts that Linux Foundation has proven to be an industry leader in achieving the DoD's certification.

Linux features that were updated to conform to the DOD requirements include ICMPv6, DHCPv6 and IPSec for IPv6.

Linux Foundation has released its first beta of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) version 4.0. The providers have already promised developers an easier work environment through the SDK, shell script and application checker. The successes are logged in the FOSSBazaar workgroup.

Rackspot, a spinoff of the Portuguese Internet service provider NFSI, is making a plea for IPv6 to participants at the WebhostingDay 2009 (WHD09) currently happening at Phantasialand in Bruehl near Cologne, Germany